Golf

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) Former world No. 1 Lydia Ko says her confidence is rising as she prepares to play in the New Zealand Open next week in front of her home gallery, near the end of a lackluster year.

Ko says she has taken faith from her third-place finish last week at the Evian Championship, the season's final major. Ko bogeyed the final hole to miss a place in a playoff as she chased her first tournament victory in 14 months.

Despite having nine top-10 finishes in 20 starts, Ko has had a difficult 2017 after making changes to her swing and changing her clubs, coach, and caddie.